King’s neurosurgeon named Clinician of the Year

A professor of neurosurgery at King’s College Hospital has been named UK Clinician of the Year by The Brain Tumour Charity.

Professor Keyoumars Ashkan, who has worked at King’s for 11 years and is the lead surgeon for brain cancer at the hospital, was honoured for his work with brain tumour patients. The award recognised his contribution to improving patients’ quality of life and for conducting research to find new therapies.

When making their decision, The Brain Tumour Charity looked for a clinician who had shown an exceptional level of commitment in supporting the charity’s work, and had gone above and beyond to advance brain tumour treatments. The judging panel comprised patients, their relatives and charity representatives who collectively voted for a winner.

Dr David Jenkinson, from The Brain Tumour Charity, said, “As Chief Scientific Officer at the charity, I whole-heartedly believe that science is critical to defeating this disease. But I also believe that collaboration is key; everyone plays a part in making change happen and helping improve life for those affected by a brain tumour.

“That’s what Professor Keyoumars Ashkan is doing. Improving care and treatment through his position; he is committed to making a critical change and driving it forward. We are honoured that Professor Ashkan is the winner of the Clinician of the Year Award.”

On receiving the accolade, Professor Ashkan said, “It is an honour and true privilege to win this award as it is judged and decided by patients, carers, charities and public - all the people we work hard to serve.”

Professor Julia Wendon, Executive Medical Director at King’s College Hospital, added, “This award is deserved recognition of Professor Ashkan’s unfaltering commitment to his patients and his tireless research into advancing treatments for brain cancer.”

Professor Ashkan has made contributions to a number of largescale national clinical trials including the GALA BIDD and GALA5 trials, which used fluorescence (the emission of light) to diagnose brain cancer and guide tumour removal respectively. He was also the lead clinician for a trial which used immunotherapy to treat brain cancer and is currently working on trials investigating the imaging of tumours and radiotherapy for meningioma (tumours that form on membrane covering the brain and spinal cord just inside the skull).